


The Best Gifts

by lunar47



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-09
Updated: 2012-07-09
Packaged: 2017-11-09 12:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/455570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunar47/pseuds/lunar47
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The pilots celebrate Kara's birthday and Helo gets her something extra special</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Home Part 2

It was her birthday.

Intellectually she knew that but in the scope of things: the end of the world, cylons constantly on their ass and the people she left behind on Caprica, that little fact didn’t really seem to matter.

So when Helo asked her to be in the rec room at 2100 sharp, she couldn’t help but groan.

“It’s a party isn’t it?” She grumbled while walking with Helo down a corridor.

“No,” he replied less than convincingly. “But hey, even if it was, when is it like you to say no to a good party.”

“I can make an exception,” she smirked.

“Look, several of the guys have been deep into planning this thing. So it would be nice if you showed up to your own birthday party.”

“Deep into planning? The parties around here usually consist of everyone getting piss drunk while playing the random hand of triad and discussing who’s doing Kat and who’s not doing Hotdog. Not much planning involved.”

He chuckled at that. “Well, just know that if you don’t show up, I’m going to come find you and fraking drag your ass to the party.”

“Well, since you put it so nicely.”

“Good, I’ll see you there.” He smiled and left her standing in the hallway outside her bunk.

She sighed and groaned again. It was true that she loved a good party, especially the ones with alcohol. But lately her mind seemed to be elsewhere. It had only been weeks since returning from Kobol, since returning from Caprica.

Sam.

She left him behind because she had to. Returning to the fleet with the arrow of Apollo had been her mission. She had never expected to find survivors, hell, let alone Helo. Now she felt the guilt that she had been trying to suppress back on Kobol. Guilt and anger that the fleet wouldn’t go back for them. That she couldn’t go back for him.

Shaking her head, she ducked into the senior officers’ quarters to change out of her blue uniform and into her sweats. It was 1900 hours and she was off shift. She planned to spend the next 2 hours in the gym punching the living daylights out of the bag and cursing whoever it was who spilled the beans on it being her birthday.

\----***----

2100 hours came much too quickly for her liking and she made the short trek from the head where she had just showered and changed clothes to the recreation room.

“Happy Birthday!” The small crowd yelled slightly out of sync of one another as she entered.

For all her previous griping she couldn’t help the small smile that escaped onto her lips.

“Yeah, yeah, thanks. I bet you’re all here because you heard the Chief’s brew would be involved.”

“Come on Starbuck you know we’re here because we worship you. Or at least all the nuggets are here because of that.” A rookie pilot in the back spoke up.

“Well, you know better than to not think of me as God.” She quipped. The small group laughed.

The tables had all been moved together and the pilots were now taking to the chairs around them. She sat in the seat that Hotdog so gallantly pulled out for her while smacking the back of his head for his cheek.

“So presents first, right?”

“Of course, Kara,” Lee replied from her left. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Kara smiled at Lee and accepted the gift he held out to her.

“It’s from dad, and Tigh I think.” Lee’s eyebrow rose as he mentioned the latter gift giver. “Ambrosia’s becoming a rarity these days. I didn’t actually think there was any left in the fleet.”

“Well, we can let the Old Man know that his gift won’t go to waste.” Kara flipped over a tumbler on the table and poured some of the green liquid into the glass.

“I didn’t actually get you anything but I figured that my gift would be the opportunity to make up the flight roster how you want it for a couple of days; fly CAP with the people you want to fly with. Maybe I’ll even write your reports.”

Kara stared at Lee from down the table, the corner of her mouth raised slightly. “That is the lamest gift I’ve ever heard of. Half of those things I can already get you to do on a bad day.”  
Lee sighed and smiled, “Fine. I owe you then.”

“Yes you do. And don’t believe I won’t cash in on that some day.” Holding her hands out and turning her attention back to the group of pilots, “So does anyone have something that isn’t useless?”

The group laughed and the gift giving continued until it finally came to Helo’s turn. “I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to give you but I’m going to give it anyways. Happy Birthday Kara.”

The first gift he passed along to her was a stack of clean paper tied with a band to keep the sheets together. “Wow, Helo, I’m really impressed.” She chuckled mockingly.

“That’s not the whole thing.” He then handed her a box wrapped in paper. 

She turned the box around, looking curiously at the words printed on the paper. “Hey, I seem to remember writing this report. I guess gift wrap didn’t survive the end of the worlds.”

Smiling she unwrapped the paper to reveal a flat rectangular box made of wood. The varnish hade been partially stripped away and the hinges were rusty. She undid the latch and peaked in. Her face fell and she closed the top back down. She hadn’t realized that the room had gone silent until Lee’s voice caused her to look up.

“Are you alright Kara?”

“I’m perfectly fine.” Her eyes drifted to Helo and she held his gaze. “Thank you,” she whispered softly. He returned her smile and nodded his head.

Lee looked on a little puzzled until the rest of the pilots broke the silence.

“So…what did he give you?” Kat leaned in excitedly.

“Yeah Starbuck, don’t be shy. Out with it.” Snickers called out.

“No, no,” she smiled gently and looked at Helo again. “I’m keeping this one private.”

\----***----

The festivities continued into the night with the Chief’s brew making it quite a lively sight to behold. Finally at half past 0100 the weary pilots made their way back to the bunks.

“So what do you think Starbuck really got,” Kat whispered to Hotdog from across their beds.

“I don’t know. Cigars, maybe. It kind of looked like a cigar box.”

“Nah, she was obviously embarrassed. You think it was something naughty.” Kat grinned and bit her bottom lip.

“Yeah right, Helo’s hung up on that toaster.”

“You’re probably right. Whatever it is I hope it’s good.” She replied and turned over to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Kara lay in her bunk, the curtains pulled tight. The light cast a soft yellowish glow on her face. She took a piece of paper from the ream and attached it to the clip board on her lap. Retrieving Helo’s gift she slowly opened the lid and admired the row of different colored pastels and charcoal sticks. They were used and uneven. She wondered how Helo had found them, from whom he had bartered for them in the fleet.

Slipping a piece of broken charcoal from the box, she began to draw…


End file.
